Fall is upon us in all its glory, and as we move on to cooler weather, its time to turn on the heat in your ovens! Halloween is around the corner, and the Holiday season is on a roll as we look forward to Diwali, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm not really sure why Halloween is celebrated - some believe it is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes regarded as the "Celtic New Year". So how did it get associated with goblins, ghosts, and witches?? The term Halloween is shortened from "All Hallows' Even" , which is now also known as All Saints' Day, a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions.

According to Wikipedia, Celts believed that on this day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died would come back in search of living bodies to possess; this was their only hope for the afterlife, as all laws of space and time were suspended on this day. So, not wanting to be possessed, the "living" people dressed up as ghosts, trying to trick the dead into believing they were already dead! Boy, isn't that confusing!!

And where does the "Trick-or-Treat" come from?? It is thought to have originated with a ninth-century European custom called Souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.

Ok, so now that our History class is done, let's turn our attention to some Goodies, shall we! Whatever may be the origin, it is a Holiday that people celebrate with gusto, especially kids! If you are looking for some inspiration, check out Martha Stewart's Halloween Ideas. From Cake Stencils to Pumpkin Favor bags, there is tonnes of fancy stuff to explore. For the more artistic kinds, check out these eery pumpkin carving patterns and ideas, or these cute pumpkin candleholders!

Don't forget to check out the Halloween Blog for costume ideas, and some wonderful Halloween ideas and tips over at HGTV

Like any other holiday, celebrate this one with gusto; but be sure to teach your kids to be responsible. Don't leave them out-of-sight for long, especially when they go to collect treats. And be as scary, spooky or ghostly as you want, but don't go overboard in giving someone a heart attack! What plans do you have for Halloween? Care to share a few with us?!